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WEST VIRGINIA 



Bulletin on the Coiaaon S< 
Diploiaa, January, 1912, 



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State of West Virginia, SiZG...- d&^ 

DEPARTMENT OF FREE SCHOOLS -f 

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CHARLESTON ^U^.^M^ 



BULLETIN 



ON THE 



|m. p. shawkey, 

State Superintendent 



F. M. LONGANECKER, 
'Supervisor of Examinations 



JANUARY 1912 



TJKION PUBLISHING CO. OHAUIiESTON. 







ON THE COMMON SCHOOL 
DIPLOMA. 

LEGAL PEOVISION. 



The school law prescribes definitely the 
courses of study that shall be pursued in the 
free schools of the state and makes further 
provision for the granting of diplomas to such 
pupils as complete satisfactorily a prescribed 
course of study. Twenty-five thousand copies 
of the manual containing the courses of study 
have been distributed among the teachers and 
school officers of the state and abundant mater- 
ial to enable the teachers to carry out the said 
courses of study has been provided so that it 
can be safely said that there is no valid reason 
why every teacher in the state should not be 
following the prescribed course of study. 

The sections of the school law relating to 
these matters are given herewith. 

Section 78. In the free schools there shall 
be taught reading^ orthography, penmanship, 
arithmetic, English grammar and language, 
United States history, state history, general and 
state geography, civil government, general 
history, book-keeping, elementary agriculture, 
and physiology and hygiene, and in connection 
therewith the nature of alcoholic drinks and 
narcotics, with special instruction as to their 
effect upon the human system, and in addition 
thereto in graded and high schools such other 



subjects as may be required in the course of 
study prescribed by the state board of educa- 
tion. 

Section 79, It shall be the duty of the state 
superintendent of free schools to prepare and 
distribute a manual containing the courses of 
study prescribed by the committee on course 
of study and such other matter as may seem 
neces'sary to enable teachers to carry out the 
said courses of study, and his further duty 
to see that the teachers in all the various 
schools follow the course of study so pre- 
scribed; he shall also provide for the examina- 
tion and graduation of pupils who satisfactor- 
ily complete the said course of study, and shall 
issue diplomas thereto. 

KINDS OF DIPLOMAS. 

Elementary. This diploma may be secured 
by passing a satisfactory examination on the 
following subjects : 

Reading 

Orthography 

Penmanship 

Arithmetic 

English grammar and language 

United States history 

Sitate history 

General and state geography 

Civil government 

Elementary agriculture 

Physiology and hygiene 
Graded School, This diploma m.ay be se-- 



cured by passing the examination in the eleven 
subjects named above and in addition thereto 
the subjects of General history and Book- 
keeping. 

The amount of preparation expected in each 
subject is indicated in the manual containing 
the courses of study. Since each county has 
its own list of text books the questions to be 
used cannot be prepared with reference to any 
particular set of books. However, for examina- 
tions held after July 1, 1912 the questions will 
be based to some extent upon the uniform text 
books which will be used throughout the state 
after that date. 

VALUE OF COMMON SCHOOL DIPLOMA. 

There is little danger that the value of the 
common school diploma will be over-estimated. 
The fact is, that it has been sadly neglected 
in many sections of the state in the past and 
many golden opportunities to give an uplift 
to the lives of boys and girls have been lost. 

Many pupils drop out of school on account of 
a lack of interest in their studies, and this lack 
of interest usually results from a lack of 
definiteness of purpose and of aim. In most 
cases the teacher is to blame for this but in 
many other instances the parents are largely 
responsible. If our country schools were care- 
fully graded and a common school diploma held 
up as a prize to be won at the end of the 
course many boys and girls would be led to 
find their talents and capacities, and their lives 



6 

would count for much more in the world than 
they do now. They would be led to advance 
step by step without a waste of energy or 
effort if they could see indications' of regular 
and definite progress. 

The honor and distinction of receiving a 
diploma issued by the state is a valuable stimu- 
lus to the ambition of boys and girls. Many 
boys and girls have been led to lives of the 
highest profit and us^efulness because their 
ambition was aroused at the right time since 
this comes at an age when they are most im- 
pressionable. The lives of many are lost in 
obscurity and oblivion who could have been 
of great service and usefulness if the right im- 
pulses and motives could have been influenced 
when that influence was most needed. Unfortu- 
nately many fine young people are described 
in the words of the poet. 

"Full many a gem of purest ray serene, 
The dark, unfathomed caves of ocean bear; 
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, 
And waste its sweetness on the desert air." 

Furthermore, the common school diploma 
should be an effective means in the hands of 
county and district superintendents and 
teachers of creating high school sentiment in 
the communities in which they work. Pupils 
should be led to regard the diploma not as an 
indication of a convenient stopping place in 
their school work but they should regard it as 
a certificate of proficiency showing that they 
are qualified to enter upon the very important 



period of training which, follows the eight 
grades of work in the common school. If we 
can implant in the more promising boys and 
girls in every district a desire to go to high 
school and arouse in their parents a desire to 
have them go, it will not be long until practic- 
ally every district in the state will have its 
high school. Nothing more important than this 
for the future welfare of the state and its citi- 
zens can be done, 

DATES AISD PLACES FOE HOLDING EX^ 
AMINATIONS. 

In 1912 the dates for the examination aie ns 
follows: 

(1) Thursday and Friday^ Feb. 29th and 
March 1st. 

(2) Thursday and Friday, May 9th and 10th. 
The county superintendent at his option may 

hold examinations on either or both of the 
above dates but it will be impossible for him 
to arrange for examinations at any other time. 
It is also his duty to determine at how many 
places in the county the examinations will be 
held. Usually, the examinations are held in 
each district or at such central points as will 
accommodate the greatest number of pupils. 
It is not necessary for the examinations to 
interfere with the regular work of the school, 
and under no circumstances should the school 
be dismissed for the purpose of holding the ex- 
aminations. If the teacher of the school at 
which an examination is to be given cannot 



conduct the examination, it would be well for 
the county superintendent to arange for some 
capable and trustworthy citizen to take charge. 
The county superintendent should find out 
considerably in advance of the examination 
just where the pupils are who desire to take 
the examinations and arrange suitable places 
accordingly. In no case should a pupil be de- 
prived of the privilege of taking the examina- 
tion on account of the distance or inaccessi- 
bility of the place of the examination. 

SUGGESTED PEOGRAM. 

The following program has been prepared 
in the hope that it will be of some service to 
county superintendents and teachers in con- 
ducting the examinations. It may be advis- 
able to change the program slightly in a few 
instances to adapt it to the local conditions, 
but in most cases some such program as the 
one given below will be found helpful. 

Thursdaj. 

9:00—10:00 Geography 

10:00—10:30 Spelling 

10 : 30—10 : 45 Recess 

10 : 45-.-12 : 00 Grammar 

Noon Intermission. 

1:00—2:00 Reading 

2:00 — 2:45,... Civil government 

2:45—3:00 Recess 

3 :00— 3 : 45 State history 

■ ,3 : 45 — 4 : 30 Bookkeeping. 



9 

Friday. 

9:00—10:30 Arithmetic 

10 : 30—10 : 45 Recess 

10:45—12:00 U. S. history 

jSooii latermission. 



00—2 : 00 Agriculture 

00 — 2 : 30 Penmanship 

:30— 2:45 Recess 

2:45—3:30 Pliysiology 

3 : 30 — 4 : 15 General history. 

GRxiBUATING EXERCISES. 

The plan of holding graduating exercises for 
those who complete the work of the common 
schools cannot be commended too highly. In 
some places last year exercises were held at 
the county seat for all the graduates of the 
county; in others, the exercises were held 
by districts and in some cases interesting ex- 
ercises were held for different schools. 

These exercises whether they be for the 
county, district or individual school, are in- 
strumental in emphasizing the importance of 
the work of the common schools, and in arous- 
ing interest in at least a common school educa- 
tion for every child. This is especially true in 
rural communities where school opportunities 
are frequently too limited. They furnish excel- 
lent opportunities for stimulating the proper 
activity by not only providing for but insisting 



10 

on the best degree of public school education 
within their possibilities for every boy and girl 
in the state. The young people who receive 
these diplomas are in that period of life where 
the impressions they receive are most lasting- 
Many men and women who have achieved suc- 
cess have done so because of the inspiration, 
and encouragement received on such occasions. 
The program should provide for some of the 
best music that can be secured in the county. 
The speaker for the occasion should be one 
who will bring a word of encouragement for 
what the pupils have done, one who has a clear 
and intelligent vision of the possibilities that 
lie before these boys and girls and one who has 
the power to make them see that vision. He 
should lead them to know their privileges for 
continuing their education and help them to see 
that what they have so far accomplished is 
just a beginning of what they need and what 
they are entitled to. 

If the number of graduates is not large, it. 
would be well for each graduate to give a pre- 
pared speech or read a paper. In either event 
the suhject should be one within the pupil's 
own. range of experience and the work should 
be entirely original. These speeches and 
papers should be brief. If the number of grad- 
uates is too large for all to appear on the 
program, a number should be chosen to repre- 
sent the class. 



11 

GENERAL REGULATIONS. 

Passing Grades. At a conference of countj- 
superintendents at Charleston in January, 1911,. 
it was decided that the passing grade should 
be an average of 80 per cent, with no grade 
below 65 per cent, in any subject. 

Grading*. The grading of the manuscripts 
is to be done by the county superintendent 
and two or more assistants appointed by him 
if he desires them. The persons appointed 
should be of well known character and ability 
and their names should be published in the- 
county papers so that the general public may 
know by whom this work is done. 

In the matter of grading great care should 
be exercised. If the grading is too close and 
severe, it will be discouraging to both the 
pupils and their teachers and will chill the 
ambitions and hopes of the boys and girls. 
On the other hand if it is too lenient, the effi- 
ciency of the whole system will be lowered and 
these diplomas will be worthless. 

The graders should not be too technical, 
watching for small mistakes and overlooking 
the broad general grasp of a subject that a 
pupil may have, yet no pupil should be given 
a diploma who is notably deficient in these 
things. Before pupils can expect to receive 
diplomas they should be able to write good 
clear English in a legible hand and show defi- 
nite and certain knowledge of the subjects on 
which they are being examined. Under no 



12 



circumstances should any pupil's manuscripts 
be graded by his own teacher. 

Credit For Former Examiiiatioiis. If the 

pupil takes both examinations in an examina- 
tion year he may have the credit for the high- 
est grades in both examinations at the option 
of the county superintendent. Also at the 
option of the county superintendent pupils may 
receive credit for grades made in examinations 
previous to this year^ if these grades have been 
properly recorded. 

SUG^GESTIONS TO PUPILS. 

The following data should be written at the 
top of each sheet: 

(a) Name of pupil 

(b) Name of subject 

(c) Name of school 

(d) Date 

2. Write on one side of the paper only. 

3. Number the answers to correspond to 
the questions. 

4. All manuscripts should be written with 
ink. 

5. In arithmetic complete solutions should be 
given. 

6. No two pupils taking the examinations 
should sit at the same desk. 

7. Pupils should not be permitted to leave 
the room or communicate with any one except 
the person conducting the examination. 



13 

8. Pupils should not ask the examiner to 
explain or give information or opinions about 
questions. Any reasonable interpretation of 
the questions will be accepted. 

9. Pupils should not be permitted to use 
books, notes or helps of any kind. 



